Bethlehem, PA. — March 31, 2015 — Did you know that PEEPS® has been the #1 non-chocolate candy at Easter for more than 20 years?[1] The cute and delicious Chicks and Bunnies have come a long way since their founding in 1953 and are available for every season, with more than 45 different shapes and flavors to choose from throughout the year. The PEEPS® experts at Just Born Quality Confections hatched these fun and unique facts to share with fans across the country in time for spring:

The 411 on the Chick that started it all!

• In 1953, it took 27 hours to create one PEEPS® Marshmallow Chick, by hand with a pastry tube. Today, thanks to the founder’s son, Bob Born, and advances in technology, it takes roughly six minutes.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a baby is born every 8 seconds; but at Just Born, 509 PEEPS® are hatched every 8 seconds.
• Chicks rule! 4 out of every 5 PEEPS® purchased are Chicks – either original, flavored, dipped in chocolate or covered in chocolate.
• In 1955 the wings on PEEPS® were “clipped” to give them a sleek, modern look.
• Yellow is America’s best-selling color of PEEPS® Chicks and Bunnies, followed by pink and then blue.
• Yellow and white PEEPS® Chicks and Bunnies came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange.
• Due to popular demand, white PEEPS® Chicks are making a comeback in 2015 after a 10 year hiatus.
• The top three PEEPS® flavors for Easter include Sour Watermelon, Blue Raspberry and Party Cake.     

PEEPS® Represent on the West Coast !

• More than 70 million PEEPS® are needed to stretch from New York City to Los Angeles.
• If you lined up 88,000 PEEPS® Chicks in a straight line, it would equal the length of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• It would take 450,000 PEEPS® to recreate the famous Hollywood sign out of PEEPS®.
• It would take more than 11 million PEEPS® to equal the weight of the 110 ton Cloud Gate art piece in Millennial Park, more commonly known as “The Bean.”

PEEPS® Take on the East Coast !

• Just Born makes enough PEEPS® in one day to equal 7 PEEPS® for every person who will travel through Grand Central Station each day on average.
• Nearly 7,000 PEEPS® Bunnies stacked in a vertical line would equal the height of the Empire State Building.
• The Library of Congress has 535 miles of bookshelves, which is equivalent to the length of more than 13 million PEEPS® Chicks.
• Just Born makes enough PEEPS® in one day to lap the Daytona Speedway track 87 times.

Some “PEEP-Culture”

• The first day of spring, March 20th, will give us roughly 2 minutes and 8 seconds of additional sunlight, which is enough time to create 8,176 PEEPS®.
• The weight of an Academy Award statuette is equivalent to the weight of 400 PEEPS® Chicks.     
• More than 847,000 PEEPS® are needed to equal the weight of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur.
• In 52 minutes 23 seconds, 200,000 PEEPS® marshmallow is produced on average at the Just Born factory, which is roughly the same amount of baseballs used throughout one full Major League Baseball season.
• Just Born made more than 4 million PEEPS® for every music album released in 2014.

 

If you would like additional fun facts pertaining to your city or interest, please reach out to Colleen Kebles, ckebles@coynepr.com. PEEPS® fans can find more seasonal product information, recipe and craft ideas, fun facts and more on www.marshmallowpeeps.com. Follow PEEPS® through the following social channels: Twitter.com/PEEPSBrand, Instagram.com/PEEPSBrandand Pinterest.com/PeepsBrand and like the brand at Facebook.com/PeepsBrand to learn about more ways to express your PEEPSONALITY®!

 

About Just Born Quality Confections

Just Born Quality Confections is a privately owned company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, where it manufactures PEEPS®, HOT TAMALES® and MIKE AND IKE® Brand candies. GOLDENBERG’S® PEANUT CHEWS® Brand candies are produced in Philadelphia, PA. In 2015, theMIKE AND IKE® Brand celebrates its 75th Anniversary, while the HOT TAMALES® Brandcelebrates its 65th anniversary. All Just Born candies are made in the U.S.A. 

[1] *Source:  IRI Total U.S. FDMx

** IRI Total U.S. FDMx, 52 weeks ending 6/12/12